Toward a Distant Peak
by surge1
Summary: The T-800 prophesised that the children of John and Kate Connor were important. Skynet killed one of them who they thought was the biggest threat. They were wrong.
1. Prologue

~Toward a Distant Peak~  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters (except Aaron and Sean, and few to come). The basic storyline, like with Skynet and the Terminators etc. was the creation of James Cameron.  
  
By Surge  
  
Prologue  
  
They got the wrong one. The Terminators. They thought the threat was over. The eldest of the Connors' son was dead but the youngest lived, Sean.  
  
Kate and John Connor had two sons. Aaron and Sean. Aaron was ten when they came for him and Sean saw his brother murdered when he was four. The T-800 had once hinted that they may become targets but no-one knew how soon.  
  
It was morning but the destroyed sky was dark and it rained down with poisonous particles. The secret dwelling of the Resistance was quiet. The occupants were sleeping but there were a few on patrols. The silence was broken by the sound of barking. This was the sound that all dreads, and fears. There were Terminators. Only the senses of the dogs could detect them.  
  
They came down in the headquarters and destroyed all that withstood them. One Terminator stopped and grabbed a young man, about in his late twenties, around the neck. While strangling him he asked, "Where is Aaron Connor?" Gasping for breath, the young man whose name was Ryan, didn't answer. Getting no answer from the human, the Terminator dropped him to the ground and was about to shoot him when he was distracted by the emergence of two young boys from a room situated at the end of the corridor.  
  
The sound of gunfire echoed through the bunkers and John Connor lurched out of bed. He ran out of his chambers to find his sons. His wife, Kate tried to follow but he commanded her to remain hidden. "Kate stay here!" he shouted. "But." she began, but he cut her off. "I'll find them," he said referring to their sons. The look of fear in his eyes unsettled her. "Get the maps, plans, orders and any documents and burn them. Do it now!"  
  
He ran through the door and down a dark corridor towards his sons' room. They had been woken by the chaos and Aaron was urging his younger brother out of bed. "Sean, get up, get up now!" he asked frantically. The younger boy obeyed but held onto his brother's hand. Once seeing that Sean was fine, Aaron reached under his bed for his gun. He quickly armed it, having done on more than one occasion. Aaron could still remember the day his father first taught him how to use it and he knew that from that day forth, that he would always have a gun, as it would be the only thing that would protect him.  
  
Aaron looked at his brother and saw the confusion in his young face. Adopting the role of the protective brother, he pulled Sean along and ran out of the room. He was met with a shower of bullets, miraculously dodging them, he dragged Sean towards the secret exit he had been told to memorize, for occasions such as this. Pieces of metal, wood and other debris pelted them but Aaron did not falter. The only thing on his mind was to get his brother and himself to safety.  
  
The two boys had barely passed the second last door of the corridor when Aaron felt a bullet hit his leg from behind them. He groaned in pain but he pulled Sean in front of him, sheltering him from any other bullets. "Aaron!" he heard Sean cry in terror, "Behind you!' Aaron swivelled around and was faced with the only thing he feared. The Terminator towered over him. "Aaron Connor?" it asked, though already knowing the answer. Aaron remained silent at first then looked it in the eye and replied, "yes." He was determined to show the machine that he was not frightened.  
  
The Terminator paused, which allowed Aaron to look Sean in the eyes for one last time. With that, the Terminator shot the boy in the head. Sean watched in horror as his brother fell to the cold ground. It seemed like eternity but he heard a cry from behind the Terminator. "Sean, run!" The desperate tone in his father's voice made him finish the journey that his brother didn't make, to the secret exit.  
  
John Connor watched his youngest, but now only child run down the corridor. The boy ran as fast a four-year-old could but when he was out of sight John threw a grenade at the machine. The Terminator didn't duck in time and was blown to pieces. John looked at the pieces of the once-destroyer scattered on the floor. Other people were doing the same and there was silence again.  
  
John Connor, leader of the Resistance, walked towards his son's body. As he gazed at Aaron's dead face, he saw himself and he felt the pain. It was his oldest son and he knew that no parent should have to bury their child. As he held Aaron's body he felt the first hot tears fall silently down his cheeks, burning like the anger and anxiety within him.  
  
Kate Connor was about to burn the documents her had told her to, when she heard a gunshot. That morning there were many gunfires but she knew this one had just killed her son. She dropped the papers she was holding and cried. However, she got her gun and ran to find her husband and Sean. As she left the room she heard the explosions of grenades. With tears pouring down her face, she protected herself from falling debris but continued to run down the corridors.  
  
She found her husband kneeling beside the dead body of their son. He was staring at nothing, but he had silent tears falling from his eyes. He didn't look seriously injured but had a few shrapnel wounds in his upper right arm. Other than that he was basically unhurt. Kate was disturbed by the fact that John didn't seem to notice her being there and he had the quickest sense she has every seen in anybody.  
  
"John?" she choked. He didn't answer and continued to stare at the wall in front of him. "John?" she said a little louder. She succeeded this time and she watched him turn his head slowly towards her. His eyes were red and the tears began to fall harder. Her own tears blinded her as she stumbled towards him and hugged him.  
  
"Oh God," she whispered in his ear. Her embrace must have broken his barrier of self-control for he began to sob. She felt his arms around her but for the first time in her life, they were of no comfort to her.  
  
"It will be alright," she said more to herself than to him. "It will be alright". John seemed to have stopped crying and she asked, "Where is Sean?"  
  
Again, he did not answer but looked behind her. She followed his gaze and saw her youngest son standing outside the secret exit. He had gone in with the other women and children but had demanded to be let out again. He had to find his parents and Aaron, even if he knew he was dead.  
  
When he saw his mother face him he ran into her arms. As she held him he knew he would always remember his brother's face as he looked at him before he died.  
  
***may have been a bit corny but I am in a emotional mood. There will be more, when Sean is older. If you have comments or constructive criticism please review. BTW, if you know any of the names of the guns, bombs, maps, etc. please tell me. Thanks.*** 


	2. To Live and Run

Disclaimer: Do not own what James Cameron does.  
  
*Hi, thanks for the reviews. If I get any time lines etc. wrong please tell me and I will correct it. Cheers! *  
  
17 years laters -23rd June 2032. Year of Revolution, as called by Sean Connor, John Connor's youngest son.  
  
Chapter One: To Live and Run  
  
Sean knew that his father took Aaron's death to heart. For months he was in depression, though he still carried out the duties as the leader of the Resistance, Sean knew that his father took the blame for his son's death. It wasn't till a year after that he came out of that shell, which blocked all his emotions from the world. The pain still lay there, under the mask, till he died.  
  
It had been 17 years, 3 months and 8 days since that fateful day, but so much had changed. Sean had grown up without the presence of an older brother, in a world of shadows and fear. However, no matter how grim the world was, his father's guidance threw the dark years strengthened him and formed him into the man that someday would also lead the Resistance.  
  
He was very similar in appearance to his father, when he was his age. Darkish blonde hair, blue eyes, stern but a sense of strength and trust, but when he smiled he resembled his mother, Kate Brewster. Some said that he had her gentle air.  
  
It was evening and in the current abode of the Resistance, a maze of dark bunkers, Sean Connor was currently studying a map of the human occupied bases west of the Atlantic Ocean, when he heard a voice call his name. "Connor?" a voice asked. "Which one?" Sean replied without lifting his eyes. "You sir," the voice said, with a hint of a smile. Sean looked up and was met with the sight of one his lieutenants. He was probably a few years older than him, with black hair and brown eyes. The smile was gone and he looked grim, as if he was a bearer of bad news. "Lawson," Sean greeted. "What news from Cooke?" "The HKs invaded his base, sir. I barely escaped," Lawson suddenly lowered his eyes as a mark of respect to the dead, he then whispered. "Cooke and many others didn't make it."  
  
Sean Connor remained silent and stared at Lawson. After a few moments, he lowered his blue eyes and sighed. "He was a good man," he said heavily. He then looked at Lawson again. "A man who you could depend on. Put your life on." "I know sir, Harry was a good friend," Lawson agreed, nodding his head. "However, the HKs now dwell within that area and I suggest that this base be evacuated immediately. It will only be a matter of time before they move to here. The terminators that cam with them found out of this base."  
  
Sean's handsome face looked tired as he looked back down on the map and concentrated on his next decision. "Cooke's base is 500 miles away but they could easily make it here in 6 hours," Sean said to Lawson. He then moved his finger from their base to another directly east of it. He then looked up at Lawson. "We could move to here. It is rocky terrain and it will slow them down if they try to follow. They may not even be able to detect us. Their radars can not penetrate the granite." "Sir?" Lawson asked confused. "A few weeks ago, Lieutenant Jenks, some others and I ran a scouting party through that area," Sean began, as recalled the tale. "Your brother, Ryan was one of them I think. Anyway, we were ambushed by HKs. Desperate, we hid behind large rocks and boulders and we found that could not detect us or kill us. The radars cannot penetrate stone." As Sean finished his story, Lawson became thoughtful. "If we travel through paths with high density rocks and granite, the chances of Skynet of tracking us are lower."  
  
The two men discussed the problem for while, other maps of the terrain and plans and messages from other Resistance Militia were brought out. "Shit!" Lawson cursed. The desperation of the situation was taking a toll on him. Once realising what he had done, he hastily added, "Sorry, sir. We will still have to travel by night." Sean waved it off impatiently and continued looking at the maps. "Right," he muttered. "Jack (calling him by his first name), I need you to inform Anderson, Lockley and Frankel. Brief them of the situation and have them ready our supplies for immediate evacuation." Sean paused. "I'll talk to my father."  
  
Jack Lawson agreed, took leave of his superior and quickly left the room. Sean ran his fingers through his unruly hair. He gathered up the maps and documents, stored them away and left to find his father, John Connor.  
  
John Connor, Leader of the Resistance was talking to one of the senior Weapons Construction and Research engineers, Barry Cheng.  
  
"This is a new model, sir." Cheng was saying to his father when Sean entered the artillery room. "Yeah, I designed it." Sean added when noticing his creation.  
  
Both men swung around at the sound of his voice. His father looked at him, few could really decipher the emotions hidden beneath his eyes. Sean, however, was comforted to know that his father was please to see him. Cheng also greeted him and then turned to look back at his father. "Sir, Sean showed me his designs and I constructed it. Its more efficient, accurate and powerful then previous models or any weapon I have ever seen." Cheng handed the gun over to his father; Sean couldn't help noticing the reverence in the engineer's eyes when looking at him.  
  
"Sean?" John Connor asked. "What mean range is it?" "I've modified the M25 Plasma Rifle, instead of 40 Watt Range, it now has a 100 Watt Range. However, the weapon is extremely dangerous. At 40 watts the gun was capable of blowing off limbs or people for that matter. At 100 Watts, I calculated it could seriously damage HKs or any type of infiltration unit." "How did you do that?" his father asked, obviously impressed. "I increased the amount of hydrogen in the magazine so less of the energy is compressed by the magnetic fields, which in turns gives off a higher energy range." Sean finished his lengthy explanation and watched his father's face. "This is only a prototype."  
  
The gun looked larger than the normal Plasma Rifle. John Connor still inspected the new gun, holding it as if trying it on for size. After a few moments of experimenting, he glanced up at Sean with his same blue eyes. Pride evident. "I am guessing that this has not been tested?" he asked his son. "Yes, sir" Sean answered, with military formality. John Connor nodded in understanding. "What have you called it?" Sean didn't answer. He hadn't thought of a name, but he had an idea. He didn't know how his father would handle it if he told him. However, there was another issue more important than a new design of gun. "Sir, I am afraid I came here for another reason other than the gun."  
  
Both men looked up and stared at him. The piercing glance of his father urged him to continue. "Colonel Cooke was killed not so long ago. HKs had invaded his base; he and many others were killed. It was sudden, they had no warning." Sean told him, and then remained silent. His father suddenly became alert. "I'm guessing you believe think they'll come here next?" Sean just nodded. John looked at his son, as though he was having an internal battle. "Good, I believe so as well. I say 6 hours till they arrive here." He started to walk towards the door then turned. "Barry, pack up your research and all necessary equipment and be ready for immediate departure." The engineer nodded. "Yes, sir." He was about to walk out of the room as well but stopped. "General?" He looked at him questionably. "Shall I call Greg to come and prepare all ammunition?" John Connor nodded, "Good." Cheng walked out of the room to find his junior assistant. Sean followed his father as he began to walk towards what was called "Operations Control Room", a room where most operative decisions were made. When walking, his father drilled him with questions. "Did you see the destruction yourself?" his father asked. Sean noticed that he was scanning him for any injuries. "No, Lawson told me sir. Said he barely escaped." Sean replied. "Good man, Lawson" Sean nodded in agreement. "I informed Anderson, Lockley and Frankel. Heard nothing from them yet." "Good. They're probably in the OCR at the moment." As they walked down the corridor, someone ran past them. "Hey, Scott!" A young man, Sean's age, by the name of Scott Aitkens stopped to face the voice that had called him. "Sean? I mean, sir?" he asked. "Go now to the records room and pack all maps and documents. We are evacuating at approximately 20:00 hours, " Sean commanded, the leadership he had inherited from his father showing through. "Yes sir," Scott replied, noticing the urgency in his Major General and friend's voice.  
  
They watched Aitkens run around the corner towards the record room. They still continued winding down the dark pathways of what the current quarters of Tech-com. There were many Resistance bases around the area but wherever John Connor took residence was the main base. The place where all decisions was to be reported. After many minutes of discussing military tactics and evacuation plans, John Connor turned to his son.  
  
"Have you decided on a name?" he asked. Sean, knowing what he was referring to, simply shrugged. Should he tell him? He decided to take the gamble. "Well sir, I was thinking M155 AARON." He stopped walking and waited for his father's reaction. As he looked at his father's stern and ageing face, Sean realized that his father had recognized the significance of the numbers and name. "Aaron?" he asked, trying to steady his voice. "Yes dad," Sean replied, forgetting formalities to spare his emotions. John Connor again, said nothing but his eyes met with Sean's. Blue with blue, but it was Sean who broke contact first. Sighing for the second time that night, Sean said, "Look, I'll change it. It is inappropriate, how about."" Surprisingly, his father cut him off and smiled, which Sean felt he hadn't done in a long time. It was like he had forgotten how. "I think he will be honoured." He then returned to the façade of military leader and hardened for the topic at hand; evacuation. "Pity," he said. "I was looking forward to road-testing your gun. The bastards deserve it. " 


End file.
